Pan Seared Miso Chicken
A delicious umami flavor to elevate your every day chicken thighs!
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken Thighs boneless, with skin on
- 1/3 C Miso Paste
- 1/3 C Cooking Sake aka Ryorishu. see notes for substitutes
- 1/3 C Mirin see notes for rice vinegar substitute
- 1/4 C Dark Brown Sugar can substitute with light brown sugar
- 3 T Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 T Avocado Oil or cooking oil of choice
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine miso paste, cooking sake, mirin, brown sugar, and soy sauce
- Whisk until combined
- Place chicken thighs in a zip top bag and pour mixture over chicken, reserving about 1/4 C for basting
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes, with 4+ hours being preferred (up to overnight)
- Heat oil in a sturdy pan over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering
- Remove chicken from marinade and place skin side down in the pan (discard marinade*)
- Sear for 5-7 minutes depending on size. Attempt to flip. If the skin does not easily release from the pan, continue cooking until the skin releases.
- Cook for another 5-7 minutes on the other side
- Cover and remove from heat allowing the temperature to rise to 160℉ when a meat thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the thigh
- Once temperature reaches 160℉, baste each thigh with the reserved mixture. Re-cover and let rest until temperature reached 165℉.
Notes
- Mirin is the sweeter and salter cousin of rice wine vinegar. If you only have rice wine vinegar on hand, you can substitute the mirin with 5 Tbsp rice wine vinegar + 5 tsp white sugar.
- Never baste your chicken with the used marinade as you do not cook it long enough to cook out any bacteria. If you want to use the remaining marinade, pour it into a pot and bring it to a boil for approximately 5 minutes before using. Stir frequently to prevent the sugars from burning. Note that the liquid will reduce some in this time.
- Cooking sake is my favorite to use as its alcohol content is low enough that it does not need to be cooked out, plus it is a great finishing touch on many dishes, lending itself to be a versatile pantry staple! You can also substitute this with dry sherry, Chinese cooking wine, or a dry white wine.
- Low sodium soy sauce is recommended due to the saltier flavors brought on by the miso paste and mirin